Garden of the Gods, Illinois

A 2 hour drive from our campground in Kentucky, Garden of the Gods in Illinois.

One of the most photographed locations in the state, Garden of the Gods' scenic beauty is extraordinary. In the recreation area you can hike, camp, nature watch or picnic.

The Observation Trail features unique sandstone rock formations and panoramic views of the surrounding Garden of the Gods Wilderness. Interpretive signs explain the geological history. 

The 1/4-mile trail is made of natural sandstone and takes about an hour to walk. It contains short, steep grades and steps; benches are located along the trail and as a whole the trail is not tiring. Caution should be used due to the high cliffs in the area.  

fall hiking

trail to the Mammoth Cave Natural Entrance

Fall at Mammoth Cave National Park, where better to be outdoors in this season than in a national park.

The underground cave tours are only part of this huge national park. There are hiking trails 'on top' as well, hiking out to the point or down to the Green River, or to the Old Guide Cemetery. With nearly 84 miles of trail in the backcountry, frontcountry and Visitor Center areas combined, from easy to rugged, you're certain to find just the one-on-one with nature you're looking for. Check out the list of trails at NPS.

Sunday Gulch Trail

view from the Sunday Gulch trail looking up at a rock climber, with Harney Peak in the distance

the 3-mile Sunday Gulch trail started out mild

walking through tall grass and trying not to think about what might be living there

but it soon got into the rocks and waterfalls area

folks passing us said just wait until you get to the rails and cliffs

not sure what they meant, but we were soon to find out, pulling up using upper body strength as feet were on the wet rocks below

cliffs

and rails

beautiful scenery

grandpa took a selfie!

In Custer State Park, hike on the trail around the Sylvan Lake until you get behind the dam, find the trailhead for the Sunday Gulch trail. Described as the most scenic and most popular hiking trail in the park, it was 3 very long miles with lots of climbing and beautiful waterfalls, rocks, vistas. 

Harpeth River State Park

Harpeth River

site of historic Pattison Forge

Montgomery Bell tunnel

ridge trail

ridge trail view

pulpit rock

We visited the Harpeth River State Park on Saturday, our goal to find the infamous tunnel. We were successful, finding the tunnel and a lot more, a scenic river with folks canoeing, hiking trails, and a history lesson.

Just west of Nashville, The Harpeth River winds through middle Tennessee, making a horseshoe turn around a narrow ridge, returning to within 200 feet of itself, known as The Narrows of the Harpeth.

Interested in the potential of water power, Montgomery Bell moved to middle Tennessee around 1804 and saw an opportunity at the Narrows to use water power for his Pattison Iron Works.

The Harpeth River makes a tight bend around a steep limestone ridge, losing 17 feet of elevation in a run of 5 1/2 miles. Bell excavated a tunnel through the limestone ridge, creating a shortcut for the river. The hydropower derived from this drop in elevation was used to drive the Pattison Iron Works built by Bell.   

Montgomery Bell's Tunnel is one of the oldest tunnels in America. Though historic records are incomplete, it is likely that Bell both located the site and designed the tunnel himself. Slave labor was used to excavate the tunnel. The project is also significant because it is believed that all excavation for the 290-foot tunnel was performed using hand drills and black powder. ~American Society of Civil Engineers

The Montgomery Bell Tunnel, built in 1819, was the first "full-scale" water diversion tunnel built in the United States. It is also apparently the first "full-scale" tunnel of any type in the United States, according to histories of tunneling.  ~Wikipedia

"One of the oldest man-made tunnels in existence today." ~Tennessee State Parks

The tunnel was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994. It is now included in the Harpeth River State Park. "The oldest known full-size tunnel of any kind in the country." ~National Historic Landmarks 

The tunnel is the only thing left of the iron works from the early 1800s. The water flowing from the tunnel only adds to the peaceful setting, the hiking trial climbs the ridge over the tunnel, offering vistas of the Harpeth valley below. The only sounds are a distant tractor gathering hay and the laughter of kids in canoes. Even after stopping to read the informational sign about the iron works, it is very hard to imagine this as a noisy industrial location. Another piece of local history, gone but not forgotten.

not just another AT journey

Walking on the Happy Side of Misery by J. R. "Model-T" Tate

Yes, I am hiking the entire Appalachian Trail once again... virtually that is, reading another chronicle of a thru-hiker on the AT… just call me an armchair hiker living vicariously.

It is a good time of year to read about hiking the AT, it is in early spring every year that thousands of hikers start out on the trail, hoping to go all the way, to get their name on that elusive list of through-hikers, the ones that hike the entire 2100+ miles from GA to Maine.

The recommendation for this book came with a grin, "Model-T writes a little differently." The first clue I had of this is when the author, J.R., former Marine, introduces his alter-ego, Model-T. The two have conversations with each other, which is probably good for the loneliness to be expected when walking alone in the woods for 6 months. But the writing is also colorful and eloquent - I tried to describe it to Buddy - it is like he had the thesaurus out and used it often, but in a good way. For example:

"Like lemmings rushing to the sea, thru-hikers scurry northward, following a tortuous, winding footpath for months, as if pulled along by an invisible, unfathomable force. They seem willing to endure immense hardship and pain to fulfill the near maniacal passion that drives them toward Katahdin. …Spirit-sapping wetness becomes the norm; stinking, sweaty, tattered clothing and body odor that brings to mind the smell of rotting swamp muck are accepted as commonplace. With numb fingers and pinched faces, the early birds chance the howling, arctic-like winds and drifting snows of the southern Appalachians, while the slowpokes dare Katahdin's icy wrath by trying winter's patience."

I have read many books by AT through hikers. There is a common thread in all of the journals/stories - hunger, thirst, exhaustion, feet, rain, vitamin-I (ibuprofen), food, blisters, b.o., hunger, the people met along the way, new friends, did I say hunger?

"This was but a fleeting convergence of lives, a brief melding of minds; yet, the bond of friendship firmly bridged the chasm of unfamiliarity." 

And of course I love this one:

"I threw him a friendly wave, which he didn’t return, but I didn’t really expect him to since we were in Yankee-land (people up here didn’t seem to go in for that sort of thing)." 

Each story has something different to add to the overall picture of the AT experience. Like the folks in Moreland Gap, mad about eminent domain taking over their land for the trail, strung invisible fishing line across the trail at eye level - with fish hooks attached! And the monks at Graymoor Monastery who take in hikers to stay overnight and an all-you-can eat meal. And the porcupines who apparently love salt, who will eat your sweaty boots left on the shelter floor.

"Here, tranquility lay like a soft shroud, soothing the mind and soul, easing pain and cares and restoring the human spirit like a lustral balm." 

Another thing that is common, these hearty folks don't just hike the trail one time and then check it off their Bucket List, they go back again and again. Like Model T who has hiked it 4 times now - misery loves company? Or more likely Walking on the Happy Side of Misery. Why do they do it? I have discovered many things about hiking the AT but I have yet to glean this from these trail stories I have read.

"the heavens seemed to press so close that the juncture between space and earth withered into a dark, dew-shrouded quilt" 

J.R./Model T has written a beautiful story, I felt like I was there on his journey, I felt the heat and rain and cringed with him when thinking about snakes. I could taste the cold sweet ice cream in a friendly trail town. I got misty-eyed when we reached the top of Katahdin and saw that familiar weather-beaten sign marking the end of our journey.

"The words of Thoreau, written after his failed attempt in 1846 to scale Katahdin, floated on the breeze like a poignant whisper: 'Only daring and insolent men, perchance, go there . . . ' " 

I love to read about the places I know and have been - starting out at Amicalola Falls and hiking up to Springer Mountain, encountering the Rangers on maneuvers in the woods, descending Blood Mountain and stopping at the hiking oasis that is the Walasi-Yi store where hikers can get mail and food and even a pack inspection and advice on what to leave behind.  So get on your hiking boots and travel along with Model-T! Happy hiking, y'all!

happy earth day

Thanks Mother Earth 

for your trees and flowers and wildlife, 

and for trails for us to get back to nature!

~photos Clarksville Greenway rails-to-trails, Clarksville, TN - 21 April 2013

under the bluffs

Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail, Ashland City, Tennessee. 

We walked about 4-1/2 miles of the 8 miles of converted rails-to-trails along the Cumberland River. The rock bluffs climb high on one side, the river/lake on the other side. We didn't see much wildlife, but lots of wildflowers and even found a geocache! 

Dunbar Cave

Dunbar Cave in Clarksville, Tennessee. The cave has been here forever, native tribes have left their mark literally on the walls, faint echoes of band music can be heard in the whistling wind, laughter of teenagers from the pool, now silent and closed, what will it be in another 100 years or so, will it one day open up and be discovered and explored anew by the next generation of spelunkers?

The cave is closed now because of bat white nose disease, but the surrounding park has hiking trails and Swan Lake full of turtles and ducks.

A great story about the history of the cave can be found HERE.

following the train

Clarksville Greenway, a Rails to Trails project, is a 4.6 mile trail built on a former railroad, a multi-use asphalt trail for walking, running, biking.

The trail winds through rock outcroppings and overlooks the river, a quiet walk with lots of wildlife. It is so peaceful you can imagine the sound of the train echoing through the valley.

We discovered this on Sunday afternoon. The trail access parking lot is near the midpoint of the trail, 2 miles to the left and 2.6 miles to the right. There are mile markers every quarter mile. We walked 2.25 miles before long {and 2.25 miles back}, enjoying the scenery and being outside on a rare warm day. We spotted 3 deer, a huge brown owl, groundhogs, red headed woodpeckers, squirrels, cardinals, and lots of other birds, kids in strollers, kids and parents on bikes, joggers, and a few dogs.

A couple of places the old wooden train trestles had been removed and the trail went down into a small valley and up the other side. If I was a bike rider, I would be the one pushing at  that point.

Looking forward to going back again!

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., whose mission it is to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.

Wild: a book review

Wild:  From Lost toFound on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Don't you just love to pick up a book and be hooked by the first chapter?  You had me at:  "My boot was gone.  Actually gone."

The trees were tall, but I was taller, standing above them on a steep mountain slope in northern California. Moments before, I'd removed my hiking boots and the left one had fallen into those trees … disappearing into the forest canopy below, impossible to retrieve. My boot was gone. Actually gone.

Cheryl Strayed had never been hiking, never been overnight camping.  She saw a guidebook for the Pacific Crest Trail while standing in a checkout line.  She found it interesting, put the book back on the shelf and went on.  But the idea took root in her mind, waiting for the right time to appear, which happened to be about four years later when she was at rock bottom, searching for answers.  

I returned and bought the book. The Pacific Crest Trail wasn't a world to me then. It was an idea, vague and outlandish, full of promise and mystery. Something bloomed inside me as I traced its jagged line with my finger on a map.  I would walk that line, I decided…

She bought all the recommended equipment and packed her backpack, only to find she could not lift it.   Weighing more than half her weight, she dubbed the pack Monster and proceeded to bear its weight on her slumped shoulders.  Along the way the pack's size and weight diminished slowly along with the personal burdens she was carrying. 

My pack rose up like a mantle behind me, towering several inches above my head, and gripped me like a vise all the way down to my tailbone.  It felt pretty awful, and yet perhaps this was how it felt to be a backpacker. I didn't know.  I only knew that it was time to go, so I opened the door and stepped into the light.

The hike of over 1100 miles and later the book about her experience were both part of personal catharsis to work out issues with the death of her mother from cancer, and a few other little personal issues like divorce and abortion and heroin use.

I tend to avoid drama like the plague in books, TV, movies, thinking that there is enough drama already in my world, why add more?  But on the other hand, sometimes watching or reading about other people's problems makes yours not seem so bad.  I love to read about hiking adventures and admittedly I skipped over most of the drama parts… just reading the hiking parts.  What?  It is allowed. 

Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told.  I decided I was safe.  I was strong.  I was brave.

Cheryl writes this about Fear on her first day on the trail. She is talking about her fear of rattlesnakes and mountain lions and serial killers.  Boy does that sound familiar.  I won't hike alone for fear of snakes and bears, just to name a couple of excuses, I have many more.

I gazed at my bare and battered feet, with their smattering of remaining toenails. They were ghostly pale to the line a few inches above my ankles, where the wool socks I usually wore ended. My calves above them were muscled and golden and hairy, dusted with dirt and a constellation of bruises and scratches. I considered my options. There was only one, I knew. There was always only one.  To keep walking.

I am an armchair hiker.  I love to read stories of long-distance hikers, their stamina, courage, confidence, persistence.  I cheer them on to reach their goals.  I mourn the loss of their toenails.  I share their joys of simple things like ice cream and trail magic.  I envy their toned muscles, clear minds, strong backs.  There are many reasons people do long distance hikes - the reasons are as varied as the people themselves, and of course the reason is a big part of their stories. 

I got to the end of this story and found discussion questions and answers by Oprah (this happened to be an Oprah Book Club copy).  Some good points were made, maybe I should go back and read it more closely.  Or maybe I will wait for the movie, rumor has it that Reese Witherspoon's production company has purchased the movie rights.

Wild:  From Lost toFound on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

An adventure and a half, great vacation reading - and did I mention it is a true story? 

My Hero!

I CAN DO ANYTHING!

Congratulations to Collin Chambers on completing the entire Appalachian Trail!

The long-awaited peak of Mount Katahdin was shrouded in clouds and rain and wind and sleet and snow yesterday when Collin claimed her victory over the 2179 mile long trek she began 6 months ago. She had to overcome many adversities along the way, but she pushed herself to her limits and beyond, her post-hike thoughts summing it up:

"I wanted to turn around and get someplace warm and dry more than once today. But I had no intention of hiking 2,173.9 miles without completing the last 5.2."

Collin, we have enjoyed living vicariously through your blog posts from the trail, thanks for the adventure! We looked forward to reading your stories which were funny and very entertaining. I see a book in the future!

Some things this armchair hiker has learned by your example:

go the distance
finish what you start
don't give up
winners never quit and quitters never win
dream big
set a goal
just do it

and as you so aptly captioned your victory photo:

I Can Do Anything!